Category: Uncategorized

Cambodian Daydreams and Night Terrors

There are no wrong turning. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk. 

Day 52: After a quick layover in Bangkok where Luke kissed his Mary goodbye, we set foot on already the sixth country of our whirlwind trip through Southeast Asia, Cambodia. Our stay in Phnom Penh is short-lived as we decide to hop on the night bus with direction to Siem Reap, which entails a 6-hour ride up north.

Day 54: Another brutal early morning but we have a great reason for this. Today we have one of the World Wonders on our travel menu. My alarm wakes me at 4 am. I try to be as quiet as possible in our 30-bed dorm and notice other shadows moving around in the room who are getting ready for the same adventure, visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park. The best time to visit is very early in the morning for several reasons. It is less crowded, it is less hot and you can see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Continue reading Cambodian Daydreams and Night Terrors

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On the Road to Mandalay

Build Bridges, not Walls

Day 42: After crossing Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand by land, we decide to fly into Myanmar. It takes us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to fly from Bangkok to Yangon with AirAsia. As we arranged our visa beforehand, the arrival and immigration process is smooth and quick and soon enough we are in a taxi on our way to our hostel in Yangon. At the hostel, we meet with Mary and Luke who got there a few hours before we did. We check-in and decide to explore the city. The receptionist recommends us to jump on the Yangon Circular Train at the Lanmadaw Train station to get a great first glimpse of this beautiful country. For us, it is already hard figuring out the entrance to the small train station but trying to actually figure out which track our train is stopping at is like a real gamble. Luckily there are only two tracks. Tracks as in some overgrown pavements next to the railroad, without any signage or direction. A train is approaching and we take our chances. We get on the train and pray for the best. Unfortunately, we soon realize we are on a different route which takes us a bit out of the city. Nonetheless, this train ride is really interesting as well with locals passing by and try to sell food. At the end of the line of this route we get off at a bigger train station and figure out the next train back leaves in about an hour. Upon arrival back at the hostel, we reunite with Alice, a feisty girl from the Netherlands who we met in the Ko Phi Phi Islands. She just arrived in Yangon as well with her travel buddy Thomas from the UK and decide to join our group for our travels through Myanmar. With the six of us, we go for dinner and have some beers in the lobby before calling it a night. Continue reading On the Road to Mandalay

Say Wat ?

Day 37: Last night we arrived in the ‘Venice of the East’ after an eight-hour bus ride from Chumpon. We found a great place to rest our heads at the Bed Station Hotel in Ratchathewi, one of the neighborhoods in Bangkok. This trendy hostel has spacious rooms, clean bathrooms, A/C, and free wifi. It is also located in a convenient location close to the Ratchathewi BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Station which helps us greatly to get around the city.

The guy above my bunk bed in the room brought home his newest catch into the dorm room last night which kept some of us from having a peaceful night. I was pretty exhausted from traveling all day and apparently added my snoring capabilities to the mix, I am sure it led to a beautiful crescendo. Continue reading Say Wat ?

Singapore Along

Day 21 – Our flight with AirAsia from Denpasar gets us to Singapore smoothly just under three hours. We pick up our backpacks and in our shorts (slowly learning from our mistakes) and make our way with the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) to our temporary home for the next three days, the Coziee Lodge in the Kallang neighborhood. We arrive a bit early and have to wait for a little before we can check in so decide to indulge ourselves into the local cuisine around the corner. Different smells, a different language we don’t understand, and different currency, the Singapore Dollar. Not too much later we check into our dorm room which we share with a few other travelers. We all have our own ‘coziee’ pod. We hop back on the MRT (two-minute walk which is super convenient) and are ready to discover the touristy spots of this city-state. Continue reading Singapore Along

52 Weeks Filled with Mementos

Welcome to a New Year, Welcome to a New Blog –

While everyone is stowing away their christmas ornaments for another year, I’m stowing my life away for another quest. Most likely the biggest one so far as I am leaving with no actual expiration date on my adventure. And this my friends is so liberating and scary at the same time.

And now I am sitting here in my room filling boxes with stuff I have gathered over the  years. More than ready to toss out those old cds from the 90s with embarrassing songs and that leather jacket I never wore because I bought it too small in the first place. Golden rule is, if you have never used it or wore it in the last year, toss it. Except for momentos. A lot of mementos from my travels I simply can’t throw out. It is just too damn precious. The memories you made, the experiences you encountered, the people you met on your road of life. Cherish every single on them. From the awkward little love note from your high school sweetheart to the drunken polaroid group shot from your trip overseas or that awesome pebble you found in the Mongolian Desert last year.

Still trying to decide to do something original with these momentos and take them with me or just leave them in the shoeboxes at leave them at my moms’ for now. Any ideas are more than welcome in the comments.

So here is to a New Year, A New Life and another 52 weeks filled with Mementos, which I will try to share with you on a weekly basis. Hope you and I both enjoy the memories we will make this year.

Fox

If you hear about Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier might be mentioned as well. These two glaciers are like two peas in a pot but it looks like Franz is stealing the spotlights in most cases. But as both glaciers are massively retreating these days the only way to get a good sight of the glaciers now is on a helicopter tour (hiking up to the foot of the bottom of the glaciers is forbidden nowadays)

If you are deciding to make a stop in Fox Glacier and you want to explore the area, then Lake Matheson is worth a visit, preferable in the early morning when the clouds have not closed the curtain over the Fox Glacier. The fairly easy loop gives you some nice viewpoints of the area. IMG_9921Another great spot (if you got the time for the detour) is Gillespies Beach. Keep your mosquito repellent handy here because the sandflies are everywhere and they leave you with a nasty itch.IMG_0182

Whangerei Away

Aaaahhh good old Whangarei.

This must have been one of the places I’ve felt home the most in New Zealand.

Of course this was all because of two beautiful souls who I was introduced to during my travels through Canada last summer, Auntie Karen and Uncle Rick. Two of the kindest kind I know on this planet.

I had the privilege spending three weekends with them in this precious spot of New Zealand, away from the big travel crowds.

Whangarei is a three hour bus ride away from Auckland (we booked our tickets with Nakedbus) and were dropped off at the port of Whangarei, where a bunch of sailing boats rest peacefully in the harbour.

On my first visit, Uncle Rick was ready to pick us up. At that time I was traveling with Julia, a name you will encounter frequently in my blogs, and she is definitely worth mentioning cause she always manage to deliver a great story to tell.

Whangarei Falls : Nice spot if you seek some refreshment and wanna make a fairly easy walk.

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Ocean Beach : Great place to go surfing or relax and get a tan (or sunburn in my case).

Mount Manaia : A not so crowded steep climb with incredibly rewarding views.

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Abbey Caves : Way less crowded than the other glowworm caves and totally free. After a little walk through the meadows you arrive at the caves (mind the sheep poo). Be very careful cause it’s really slippery and be prepared to get wet from head to toe if you want to see the glowworms deeper in the caves. Make sure to bring a flashlight and when you are in the caves, not to shine the flashlight towards the worms but away from them. Be prepared for magic.

Smugglers Cove : Starting from the small parking lot with excellent toilets it is a nice hike over a small hill to reach this cozy cove that once was a haven for pirates. You can also combine this with the Busby Head Track if you wanna see some more cool views.

Definitely worth a visit !

What’s Another Year

What a year !

I’ve been from the highest highs to the lowest lows this last year.

Literally and figuratively.

From snorkelling in Indonesia to hiking up to the Annapurna Base Camp.

From spending a night playing cards with the Shan State army in Myanmar to going to the emergency room in China.

The year started with a ‘Where’s Julia’ game after we lost her in the bars of Wellington and will end somewhere in the streets around London.

My New Year’s Resolution. Keep up the blogging and hope to inspire you to travel, laugh and frown with my (hopefully more frequent) stories.

Here is a video of some of the highlight of my Asian Adventure.

Happy Holidays everyone !

Wim

Lake Pukaki

If you were impressed with Lake Tekapo, then you definitely will be stunned by the beauty of its bigger sister, Lake Pukaki.

The drive around the lake is very scenic and deserves some stops. While you are driving and if the weather permits it, you will see Mount Cook appear.

One of them is Peter’s Lookout along Highway 80 (also known as Mount Cook Road). From here you can take a bunch of postcard photos but make sure you save some space and batteries for your next stop, Mount Cook Village !

Lake Tekapo

We survived our first night with the three of us in a two person tent.

The summer is noticeably gone with much cooler temperatures at night. We wake up to a grey sky morning at Mc Gregor Lake, which is only a short drive from Lake Tekapo.

After our breakfast at the lake and getting a full tank we were ready to drive up to the rooftop of New Zealand, Mount Cook National Park.